By: COLIN REESE
There is much for which to be hopeful for the future of American soccer and the United States Men’s National Team. Plenty of talent is coming through the pipeline.
The United States has technical and athletic players that are young and youngish at virtually every position.
In goal, the USA has William Yarbrough, Clint Irwin, Cody Cropper, and Zack Steffen.
In defense, the USA has DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks, Andrew Farrell, Greg Garza, Erik Palmer-Brown, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Matt Miazga, and Christian Dean.
In the midfield, the Stars and Stripes have the likes of Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, Dillon Powers, José Villarreal, Kellyn Acosta, Benji Joya, Emerson Hyndman, Luis Gil, and Paul Arriola.
In the attack, the United States has Juan Agudelo, Gyasi Zardes, Bradford Jamieson IV, Jordan Allen, Rubio Rubin, Mario Rodriguez, Alonso Hernandez, Junior Flores, and Romain Gall.
These young players coupled with others that weren’t listed along with the players in the 25-32 year old range give the USMNT a deep pool of talent where many need experience, playing time, and seasoning.
But, one thing is for sure, and that is that the skilled and proven experienced players can be started with a few of the younger players to give them experience, seasoning, and chemistry with the senior squad.
Of all of the younger players in the pool, with the exception of players like Agudelo, Yedlin, Alvarado, and Brooks who have proven themselves with the National Team, Bradford Jamieson IV really stands out as the most exciting national team prospect of the group.
Jamieson has an excellent first touch, advanced technical ability, speed, fearlessness, size, vision, excellent passing ability, and lots and lots of speed and quickness. Jamieson also has the thing that American soccer has been looking for: a player that can take defenders off the dribble and score solo goals from the run of play. Jamieson will attack defenders directly and continue to do so even when defenders take possession from him on his previous dribbling attempts.
If the United States wants to use a 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, or 4-3-3 formation, there is room for Jamieson to get some real minutes with the National Team.
There are many conflicting views of who should start for the United States, but if we look at a 4-2-3-1 formation with the experienced and proven players, then there is room to put Jamieson in to play the first half or the last 20-30 minutes of the game.
What is a proven USA XI in a 4-2-3-1?
I’d argue that Brad Guzan, DeAndre Yedlin, Ventura Alvarado, John Brooks, Greg Garza, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya/Joe Corona, Mix Diskerud, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore is a non-controversial and strong starting line-up.
If we look at that line-up, what does it hurt to start Juan Agudelo over Altidore and Jamieson over Bedoya and Corona just to give him experience and the squad an explosive and quality attacker?
Furthermore, how could it hurt to give Dillon Powers minutes in the midfield and to give Andrew Farrell minutes at center back?
Surely, these players are good enough to see minutes in friendlies or in the first round of the Gold Cup against truly weak opponents.
The most important thing is that MLS appears to be producing more and more technical and athletic defenders, midfielders, and forwards.
Despite being produced here, these players are demonstrating a level of technical ability along the lines of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Michael Bradley.
Once again, of all of these players, Jamieson is by far the most polished and exciting of these young players, and Jamieson is the type of creative and skilled attacking player that the United States has been waiting for more of since the appearance of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.
Jamieson’s technical ability, speed, and 1v1 skills are truly special by any standard. The fact that an 18-year-old American player that was born and raised in the United States is displaying these skills is a reason for hope for the undeniable rise of American soccer.
Let us not forget all of the other promising young players that are defenders, midfielders, and forwards. It will be interesting to see which players begin to stand out more and more from the others.
Looking toward the Gold Cup, perhaps Powers, Farrell, and Jamieson are the most deserving of surprising roster inclusions for that tournament. With proven players largely already filling up the 23-man Gold Cup roster, there is room for Farrell, Powers, and Jamieson on this summer’s roster.
The continued improvement of American soccer will depend on risk. The players starting for the National Team should be consistent performers at the club level or at least proven performers at the club or international level, but the United States needs to start incorporating its younger players that display the most skill.